The art of surfboard riding is rapidly changing as the skills and manoeuvres developed in windsurfing on sailboards are adopted for surfboards. However unlike windsurfing where control of the sailboard is maintained by the rider's hands in holding the sail as well as by the position of and pressure exerted by the rider's feet on the board, in boardsurfing the only control of the surfboard is via the feet. It is therefore desirable that foot contact with the board be maintained.
Surfboard riders now practice routines in which the surfboard loses contact with the water. Typical of such manoeuvres is the so-called "aerial" when the rider and board run along and then up the face of a wave and become airborne as the board progresses over the lip of the wave, and a "floater" when the rider drops down a wave from the lip to the base through the air or cushioned only by aerated foam. It is particularly desirable both for high performance and safety that foot contact be maintained with the surfboard during such manoeuvres. During aerial manoeuvres it is known for surfboard riders to hold the board as skateboard riders do, but this means that the arms are not free for balancing.
A number of arrangements are known whereby contact between a surfboard rider's foot and the surfboard is maintained or facilitated in an attempt to enhance control.
In one known arrangement disclosed in Australian Patent 601941 to Burrows and Reimers, a fixed post or "rocket block" is located adjacent the tail of the surfboard so that a rider's foot abuts against the block. Some such blocks are slightly concave so that a rider's heel and sidefoot can adopt a number of positions. Such a device has a number of disadvantages. Positive contact with the foot is not maintained during aerial manoeuvres; it is fixed to the board and not adaptable for easy relocation; being fixed and upstanding, it can cause scratching and grazing to a rider's leg which is dragged across the tail block during the action of standing up on the board from a lying position. Furthermore, if located in the forward area of the board such rocket blocks impede the rapid and frequent foot movements necessary for control and also hinder a rider lying prone on a board when swimming.
Another arrangement is disclosed in Australian patent application 16137/92 to Sunbum Pty Limited. This application relates to a foot strap for a sailboard which is fixedly attached to the board. Such footstraps maintain the foot in contact with the relatively heavy sailboard by looping over the foot which is jammed in between the board and the underside of the foot strap. Attempts have been made to utilise such sailboard footstraps on surfboards to enhance control during aerial manoeuvreing on the surfboard. However the straps have certain disadvantages. In particular they prevent the heel to toe transitions essential for fine control in high performance competitive surfboarding. Moreover the straps can be dangerous if the rider's foot becomes caught in the strap during a fall from the surfboard.
Australian patent application 21600/88 to Look S.A. discloses a foot strap assembly having a release mechanism operable in response to pressure in one direction but inoperable in response to pressure in a transverse direction. Such an assembly is relatively expensive and addresses only the safety problems of fixed footstraps referred to above. The footstrap disclosed in 21600/88 does not permit heel to toe transitions for controlling a surfboard. Furthermore, footstraps impede free and unrestricted foot movement across the board and therefore can result in difficulty in hurriedly placing the foot in the footstrap in anticipation of performing a particular manoeuvre.
It has also been proposed that a rider wear a shoe having a velcro-like surface on the sole. As used herein the terms "velcro" or "velcro-like" refer to post and hook style releasably permanent fasteners. Other velcro-like surfaces are located on the board surface in suitable locations and when the rider's velcro booted foot is placed on the velcro covered portion of the board, the rider's foot is firmly retained. However velcro soled boots fix the feet in the position relatively firmly and are not easily removed by the rider to another position. Furthermore this relatively permanent fix, being suitable for only one manoeuvre, can create a tendency for riders to concentrate particularly on foot placement and can impair overall performance.
It is known to provide skateboards with a fixed forward post having a flange under which the rider's foot can engage to retain the skate to the foot when airborne and use of such a footstop on a surfboard has been contemplated. However such an arrangement has the same disadvantages discussed above with the footstrap. Moreover, much of a surfboard rider's time in the water is spent paddling out and lying in a prone position on the board. Accordingly it is desirable that any foot restraining arrangements be substantially flat during this activity.